Gible Line/XY
Gible can only be found on Route 13, also known as the Lumiose Badlands, in both games. The Garchompite is only available in the postgame. The pre-Eviolite days are long gone. Forget the frailty of Gible and Gabite before reaching their final evolution, perish the thought of struggling to keep them alive. In Kalos, Gible is available already past Gabite level, takes just the right amount of time to complete its evolutionary route and, while unable to Mega Evolve before the postgame, Garchomp still accomplishes an incredible amount of sweeps. Its tanking capabilities are great and, courtesy of Kalos not sporting very many Ice leads, it can raid enemies just by using Swords Dance once or twice at the first available opportunity, then curbstomping everything on the enemy team. Garchomp is everything a nuzlocker could possibly ask for: fast, hard-hitting and good at tanking, an unstoppable war machine. Important Matchups * Rival (Coumarine City): An Eviolite Gabite has a field day. Shadow Claw 2HKOs Meowstic, Dragon Claw or Dig 2HKOs Absol and Frogadier, Braixen can be OHKOed (or close to it, depending on Gabite's stats) with Dig and Quilladin can be 2-3HKOed with either Dragon Claw or Aerial Ace, without hurting Gabite much. * Gym #4 - Ramos (Coumarine City, Grass-type): Another field day for Gabite, once again with the Eviolite attached. Either Dragon Claw or Aerial Ace can 2-3HKO all of Ramos' Pokémon, and only Gogoat represents somewhat of a threat, with Bulldoze lowering Gabite's Speed and Grass Knot dealing anywhere between 33% and 50% in damage; Gabite can still defeat it if healed often enough. * Aliana (Kalos Power Plant): Again, a good matchup. Gabite outspeeds and deals more damage than Mightyena, and should Mightyena opt for Swagger, Gabite's STABs will become a 2HKO. * Gym #5 - Clemont (Lumiose City, Electric-type): Unsurprisingly, Gabite is great against this gym. Dragon Claw 2HKOs Emolga, and Dig 2HKOs Magneton (due to Sturdy) and may either OHKO or 2HKO Heliolisk, depending on Gabite's stats. Gabite does need the Eviolite to function well in this matchup; only then Magneton's Mirror Shot and Heliolisk's Grass Knot will deal less than 33% damage, allowing to heal whenever needed. * Rival (Route 14): An Eviolite Gabite and Meowstic can both 3HKO each other. As Meowstic's Speed is higher, Gabite needs to start off with Bulldoze in order to win the matchup. Absol is 2HKOed by Dragon Claw; avoid using Dig against it, as it can profit of the free turn to set up Swords Dance. The starters averagely 3HKO Gabite from full health, and Gabite can 3HKO them back, but once again needs to start with Bulldoze against Greninja and Delphox; Chesnaught can be 2HKOed with Aerial Ace if the damage roll is high, and Gabite's Attack is good. * Gym #6 - Valerie (Laverre City, Fairy-type): Mawile has no STAB moves; its strongest offensive move is Crunch. A Gabite can actually pull off a sweep even here, setting up with Swords Dance against Mawile until it reaches +4 (or +6 with a nature that lowers Attack, and/or a low Attack IV), at which point Dig OHKOs all of Valerie's Pokémon; Mr. Mime should be KOed with Shadow Claw instead, since Dig would leave it a free turn to put up Reflect. A Gabite with the Eviolite attached can also survive Mr. Mime's non-critical Dazzling Gleam in the event that Mr. Mime outspeeds, so long as Gabite's health is at least 75% full; however, Gabite will need to switch out against Sylveon if Mr. Mime outspeeds and uses Reflect, as the screen keeps it from OHKOing Valerie's ace. * Celosia and Bryony (Poké Ball Factory, tag battle with rival): Since Manectric is rather harmless, Gabite should focus on defeating Liepard first. Dragon Claw is a 2HKO, as is Dig, but Dig should not be used, as it offers Liepard the opportunity to set up with Hone Claws. After Liepard is gone, Dig will likely KO Manectric from whatever health level it is left at. * Mable (Frost Cavern): This matchup is dangerous for Gabite: Foul Play can almost 2HKO even with the Eviolite, and Dig is not an OHKO against Houndoom, not to mention Houndoom's base Speed is significantly higher. Garchomp has no problems instead. * Rival (Anistar City): If Gabite is still unevolved, it should hold the Eviolite and proceed as it did in the previous matchup, starting against Meowstic with Bulldoze and then with Shadow Claw; Garchomp can 2HKO with Shadow Claw directly. Absol is 2HKOed by Dragon Claw as it was before. Both Gabite and Garchomp are good against Jolteon and Flareon, but should stay away from Vaporeon due to Aurora Beam. With Gabite, proceed with Bulldoze and then Dragon Claw against Greninja, or Dig against Delphox, and use Aerial Ace against Chesnaught; Garchomp, once again, does not need to get started off by Bulldoze and can simply 2HKO them, or potentially even OHKO Delphox with Dig. * Gym #7 - Olympia (Anistar City, Psychic-type): Garchomp should be fully evolved by now. If not, evolve Gabite before this battle. Crunch cannot OHKO Sigilyph which, unfortunately, can put up Reflect; if it does, the otherwise 2HKO against Slowking will become a 3-4HKO, a serious issue in the latter case, as it can set up with Calm Mind and then wreck Garchomp with Psychic. Slowking also has Yawn, so a Chesto or Lum Berry would be wise items to carry. Alternatively, the Expert Belt will guarantee the 3HKO against Slowking even with Reflect up. Meowstic will not be an issue; like Slowking, it can be 2HKOed without Reflect and 3HKOed with it, but it takes several Calm Minds to OHKO Garchomp, and it will never get the chance to use them. * Lysandre battle #1 (Lysandre Labs): Garchomp essentially destroys this team, with the exception of Gyarados, which knows Outrage. Use a different Pokémon for it, and Dragon Claw the rest. * Aliana (Lysandre Labs): Mightyena is not an issue for Garchomp, but Dragon Claw may not OHKO Druddigon and its critical Dragon Claw will off Garchomp. Have Garchomp hold the Expert Belt to fight a risk-free battle. * Celosia (Lysandre Labs): As Drapion will not be OHKOed by Dig, the best option is to use Swords Dance once against Manectric, and then proceed to OHKO both. Manectric doesn't even come close to 2HKOing Garchomp, so there is no danger in setting up. * Bryony (Lysandre Labs): Same approach as the battle against Celosia: a Swords Dance will guarantee both kills with Dig, and Liepard is not powerful enough to threaten Garchomp. Go ahead. * Mable (Lysandre Labs): Dig OHKOs Houndoom, but Weavile's Ice Shard can kill with a critical hit and Garchomp cannot OHKO it whatsoever. Have another Pokémon fight Weavile. * Xerosic (Lysandre Labs): Since Crobat does not deal much damage, Garchomp can set up two Swords Dances against it and then OHKO both Crobat and Malamar with Dragon Claw. The Swords Dance setup will prevent Malamar from spamming Superpower supported by Contrary, which can quickly become a threat for many teams. * Lysandre battle #2 (Team Flare Secret HQ): Despite the additional evolutions, Garchomp can still dispose of all of Lysandre's team with relative ease, thanks to Dragon Claw and Dig. The exception remains Gyarados, whose Outrage is far too much for Garchomp to take. * Xerneas (Team Flare Secret HQ, X only): Garchomp can in no way have a winning hand against Xerneas, and should steer clear from it altogether. * Yveltal (Team Flare Secret HQ, Y only): Yveltal's Dark Pulse is a 2HKO against Garchomp, which can only 3HKO with Dragon Claw. Unless you plan on stalling it out of Dark Pulse PP, Yveltal is going to win. * Lysandre battle #3 (Team Flare Secret HQ): Garchomp can 2HKO Mienshao, Honchkrow and Pyroar as usual, but Mega Gyarados is even more of a threat than before, and should be avoided at all costs. * Professor Sycamore (Couriway Town): Garchomp's safest way of sweeping this team is using Swords Dance against Venusaur once, which will guarantee the Dragon Claw OHKO against Venusaur and Charizard. Blastoise will still be a 2HKO, but its STAB is resisted by Garchomp, so it will survive even after taking a Petal Dance from Venusaur. * Shauna (Route 19): One Swords dance against Delcatty and everything on Shauna's team will fall to Dragon Claw. Delcatty's Play Rough is only nominally anywhere near scary, practically achieving a 4HKO at best. Players who picked Fennekin should use Swords Dance twice instead, to also guarantee the OHKO against Chesnaught. * Tierno (Route 19): Once again, a Swords Dance against the lead and the whole team will be history. * Trevor (Route 19): Swords Dance once against Raichu, then use Dig to dispose of it and Florges, and Dragon Claw for Aerodactyl. * Gym #8 - Wulfric (Snowbelle City, Ice-type): Garchomp can OHKO Abomasnow with Flamethrower, but only if it holds the Expert Belt. Cryogonal can be OHKOed with Dragon Claw, though its Speed is slightly higher than Garchomp's; specimens with Speed-lowering natures and/or poor IVs/EVs in Speed should not risk the matchup, as Cryogonal's Ice Beam will otherwise kill. The minimum Speed needed to outspeed Cryogonal for certain is 151. Garchomp should not come close to Avalugg, which cannot be OHKOed and completely destroys Garchomp with Avalanche. * Rival (Victory Road): A Swords Dance and a Crunch will dispose of Meowstic, as well as everything else on the rival's team, in a single blow. The only Pokémon that cannot be OHKOed by Earthquake or Dragon Claw after one Swords Dance is Chesnaught, which cannot OHKO Garchomp anyway. * Elite Four Wikstrom (Pokémon League, Ironworks Chamber, Steel-type): Earthquake kills Klefki and Aegislash-Blade in one turn and Scizor, Probopass (Sturdy) and Aegislash-Shield in two. None of Wikstrom's Pokémon can even 2HKO Garchomp, which can therefore even set up a Swords Dance against any one enemy of choice and sweep the rest. * Elite Four Malva (Pokémon League, Blazing Chamber, Fire-type): A Swords Dance against Pyroar will guarantee a slew of OHKOs against Malva. Talonflame will also be OHKOed by Dragon Claw after one Swords Dance, and its Brave Bird is relatively weak, a 3-4HKO on average. * Elite Four Drasna (Pokémon League, Dragonmark Chamber, Dragon-type): The Expert Belt allows Garchomp to OHKO all of Drasna's Pokémon with Dragon Claw. Noivern is the only one that can outspeed, but its Dragon Pulse is only a 2HKO, and not even a critical hit can one-shot Garchomp. * Elite Four Siebold (Pokémon League, Flood Chamber, Water-type): Clawitzer can be 2HKOed with Earthquake, and Starmie with Crunch. Garchomp can survive two Dazzling Gleams from Starmie, so it should not be worried if still at full health by the time it comes out, even in the event that Starmie outspeeds. Earthquake also OHKOs Barbaracle if Garchomp is holding the Expert Belt, but no amount of help can allow it to face Gyarados and its Ice Fang. * Champion Diantha (Pokémon League, Radiant Chamber): Garchomp can survive even a critical Flying Press after a Swords Dance, in the event that Hawlucha outspeeds. It should therefore use Swords Dance once, and then OHKO all of Diantha's team; Dragon Claw disposes of Hawlucha and Goodra, Earthquake does so with Tyrantrum and Aurorus, and Crunch with Gourgeist. Even Mega Gardevoir is OHKOed by Earthquake after a Swords Dance, though Garchomp with natures that hinder Speed should avoid fighting Diantha's ace, as they will be killed by Moonblast if they cannot outspeed. * Post-Game: Step one set up, step two destroy. Easier than it has ever been. Moves Gible's initial moveset is Take Down, Sand Tomb, Slash, and either Sandstorm or Dragon Claw depending on its level. As Dragon Claw comes at level 27 and Gible is caught between levels 26 and 28, should it not have Dragon Claw right away, it will learn it just before evolving. At any rate, Gabite also gets Slash at level 28, and Dragon Claw at level 33. Gabite also learns Dig at level 40, though it does not matter, since the Dig TM is available before Gible. Gabite should be evolved at level 48 exactly, as Garchomp gets Crunch at that level, and then Dragon Rush at level 55 which, however, is not really convenient due to the low accuracy. None of Garchomp's older level-up moves are worth remembering via Heart Scales. Garchomp has great TM coverage, and this makes its moveset very flexible. First of all, its great bulk allows it to use Swords Dance proficiently to power up its moves. Both Dragon Claw and Earthquake are TMs, and they are easily the best moves a Garchomp may have. Before Earthquake becomes available, both Bulldoze and Dig will fill it in as far as Ground STAB goes. Garchomp also gets Rock coverage in the form of Rock Tomb first, and then Rock Slide or Stone Edge; it can dispose of Ghost- and Psychic-types with Shadow Claw too, before gaining access to Crunch. Brick Break is a good move too, but given its base power, it is unlikely to find space on Garchomp's moveset; a neutral Earthquake has the same base power as a super effective Brick Break. There is also Poison Jab for Fairy-types, but keep Garchomp away from them unless there are no other options on the team. Garchomp also has a few special moves to choose from, namely Surf and either Flamethrower or Fire Blast, which may work well as filler until the better TMs are obtained; Garchomp's Special Attack is far lower than its Attack, but still usable. Recommended moveset: Swords Dance, Earthquake, Dragon Claw, Crunch Recommended Teammates * Steel-types: Ice-types are the sworn enemies of most dragons, and Garchomp is no exception. While capable of defeating some of them within a team, thanks to previous setups, Garchomp should not be used to tackle Ice-types routinely, especially if they can outspeed. There are several good Steel-types in Kalos; in addition to providing an Ice wall, they can also help Garchomp against Fairy-types, and are therefore the best complement for this Pokémon. ** Good Pokémon that fit this description include, among others: Lucario, Aegislash, Probopass, Escavalier, Klefki, Magnezone, Aggron, Durant, Scizor * Ice-types: If there is a Steel-type on the team, even opposing Dragon-types can be walled. However, for convenience purposes, Garchomp can also be supplemented by an additional Dragon buster; Ice-types are best for this role, since they also offer Garchomp additional coverage against their Ice cohorts and Gachomp covers well for three of their four weaknesses. ** Good Pokémon that fit this description include, among others: Cloyster, Glaceon, Aurorus, Lapras, Mamoswine, Beartic, Jynx, Vanilluxe, Weavile, Cryogonal Other Gible's stats Gabite's stats Garchomp's stats Mega Garchomp's stats * What Nature do I want? Adamant is the best possible option for Garchomp. Its physical bulk is good, so natures that detract from Defense are a non-negligible hindrance, though not as bad as ones that detract from Attack. Impish and Careful will provide a defensive boost, whereas Jolly will make Garchomp faster; all of them are also fine. * At what point in the game should I be evolved? Gible should be evolved into Gabite right after being caught. It should then become a Garchomp around Anistar City, preferably before the rival battle for maximum matchup rendition, but right before Olympia (and no later than that) is also fine. * How good is the Gible line in a nuzlocke? It is broken. Aside from its sworn Ice enemies, it can take down essentially anything. Gabite curbstomps enough as is with the Eviolite attached, but Garchomp just takes that to a whole another level; there is little to fear with a Garchomp in the lead, as it can take even obnoxious moves such as non-STAB Ice Beam if its health is full. * Weaknesses: Dragon, Fairy, Ice (x4) * Resistances: Poison, Rock, Fire * Immunities: Electric * Neutralities: Normal, Fighting, Flying, Ground, Bug, Ghost, Steel, Water, Grass, Psychic, Dark Category:X/Y Category:List of Evolutionary Lines with Completed Analyses